Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Systems Analysts
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Washington State University, University of Washington Seattle, and Eastern Washington University.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Eastern Washington University, University of Washington Seattle, and Washington State University.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider City University of Seattle.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider City University of Seattle and Northwest Indian College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Puget Sound, Seattle Pacific University, City University of Seattle, and University of Washington Seattle.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of University of Puget Sound, Seattle Pacific University, Western Washington University, and Washington State University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Puget Sound, University of Washington Seattle, Seattle Pacific University, and Western Washington University.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at University of Puget Sound, Seattle Pacific University, Washington State University, and Northwest Indian College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying History (completion in 1999)
• 7/15/2011
"College was a good time and offered a good set of experiences and taught me other skills that I use today. Much of my experience guiding BU's to the right solution is based on the methods I learned through history papers."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I cannot speak to this from a position of "I know" due to my degree and my career being different tracks. I know several other people who did get a BS in computer science and they are knowledgeable. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | The University of Washington is know for some sub-areas of history. The overall program is good, but there are others out there that are significantly better. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I had brilliant teachers who knew how to engage students and get them interested in history. There was also the opportunity to help out with research for papers and articles and several of the professors encouraged you to do that. |
| Instruction | 5 | I learned a lot, but it was no way related to the field I work in currently. Most of my technical skills and experience was gained from working my way up the ranks of a tech company. |
| How Difficult | 9 | The History major involves a lot of papers that are beyond the fluff that you learn to put out in high school. You basically apply a version of the scientific method to write them. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | History is primarily a book focused process in which you need to use a book to prove something. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 1 | Most classes for history take place during the day. There were some late evening lectures for fun, but the bulk of the day was spent in a class room. Online options weren't really available. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | I feel like the facilities and resources were generally good. Many of the buildings I was in have been redone so they are much improved. There were a large number of libraries that were well stocked and several computer labs that always had space. |
| Social Life | 10 | I was in the marching band. It introduced me to my wife and I got to hang out with friends, play music, and travel. |
| Placement Services | 5 | I will have to say average because I did not avail myself of them. I was working as a help desk support agent while I worked on finishing college and then I stayed in that area while I tried to get into a teaching program. That was unsuccessful, so I eventually focused on learning new skills and taking on more responsibility and moving up the IT chain. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | The alumni do a lot, but it all depends on what area you are in. I was in the marching band and I still participate in alumni events and I help fundraise for alumni events. |
Central Washington University • Ellensburg, WA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2009)
• 12/21/2011
"The experience was great. I made some valuable connections."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I enjoyed my experience. It was a lot of fun. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The reputation is improving. It is not a top tier school. |
| Program Quality | 6 | Central has a strong computer science program. The teachers were excellent. |
| Instruction | 7 | The instruction was awesome. I learned a lot. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The workload was heavy. Some courses were very difficult. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The class sizes were fairly small. The teachers were approachable. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Seniors get first pick. My schedule always worked out. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | The library was great. The computer labs were top notch. |
| Social Life | 5 | There were numerous clubs and groups. There were also many parties. |
| Placement Services | 3 | I didn't use it much. It didn't have a good reputation. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | There is very little support. The alumni network is almost non-existent. |
Western Washington University • Bellingham, WA
Studying Computer Science (completion in 2001)
• 3/5/2012
"Again, I don't feel like I was supported by the faculty enough. I didn't end up getting a job related to computer science."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I think it was ok, as long as you're self-motivated. If you need someone to guide you through what to do, this would not be a good choice. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | Western is supposed to be a good school for Computer Science. However, I'm not really sure how I came by that idea. I don't recall hearing any public praise for the program anywhere. |
| Program Quality | 5 | The classes seemed ok, but I didn't feel like I had support from the faculty. I hardly ever even talked to my faculty advisor. I had no plan for what to do after I graduated. I should have been encouraged to participate in internships while I was in school, in order to get work experience in software development. |
| Instruction | 6 | Again, I didn't feel like I had any plan for what to do once I graduated. I didn't feel like what I learned prepared me enough to actually get a job in software development. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I struggled with a few of the theory classes. I don't have any other education experience to compare it to, though. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was a good amount of hands-on learning. The first intro class was a lab class. Almost all the classes had programming assignments to go along with the book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | There are some weekend, evening, and summer options. However, most of the required classes for my major are only offered once per year and not during summer or evenings or weekends. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The facilities were ok. We had a dedicated computer lab just for computer science majors. I know that after I graduated, they built a whole new building for mostly computer science. |
| Social Life | 1 | I almost had no social experience at my school, aside from meeting with study groups and working in the computer lab. I lived at my parents' house rather than on campus, to save money. I would get to campus just in time for my classes and go home immediately afterward. I didn't attend any sporting events or concerts or anything like that. |
| Placement Services | 4 | I didn't really receive any help. It's now over 10 years since I graduated and I still don't have a job in my field of study. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I don't really feel connected to the school anymore. I get e-mails from the alumni committee every once in a while telling me about alumni events, but they're usually in distant locations, like California or Arizona, that I couldn't afford to go to even if I wanted to. |
University Of Washington • Seattle, WA
Studying Dual Major: Communications & Law/Politics/Economy (completion in 2008)
• 4/4/2012
"I loved (and still do) the UW and am so proud to have earned a degree from there. I had a great experience, but do wish there had been a bit more information sharing when it came to financial aid. I felt like the only option I had was to take out more student loans. After I graduated, I learned there were scholarships I may have been able to receive given that I was an older student returning to complete my degree. Being that I was also working 45-60 hrs. per week, I never had the time to research other financial aid options. I wish that there would have been more encouragement of this when I first applied. That would have told me that they are further acknowledging how busy I am and that I might need some assistance in figuring out what options are out there - without taking the "easiest" (and most painful) route of getting student loans."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I am now in IT, but I've heard the UW's IT program is also pretty outstanding. I'd recommend the UW for computer sciences/IT as well as Communications and Law/Politics/Economy. Absolutely loved my experience and the education I received! |
| Program Reputation | 10 | The UW has an excellent reputation for all of its majors. Communications is a tough major to get into because so many want to major in this field at UW. I take that as a sign that it has a reputation for providing excellent instruction in Communications. |
| Program Quality | 9 | I enjoyed my experience at the UW. I attended night school in order to complete my degree while working. I loved the people I met, enjoyed my instructors, and also the coursework. I didn't rate it at a 10 only because I wish they hadn't required "group" work for the night school program. It was ridiculous to think that those of us in that program would be able to not only add in extra time around our already full schedules, but to then coordinate that with 4 or 5 others in order to complete a group project. |
| Instruction | 9 | Same answer really as above. I was disappointed in them requiring group work in night school courses. However, the rest of the instruction was fabulous. I greatly enjoyed our night school professors and felt I had a different, more mature, kind of relationship with them in comparison to when I went to school during the day. |
| How Difficult | 7 | I found both of my majors to have their challenges, but I enjoyed them greatly. I like challenges, and especially, when they are in a subject matter I am passionate about. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was a fair mixture. My night classes were a mix, while the online course I took was much more book learning. I never met with my online professor and never felt a relationship with her. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | UW does offer a great night school program, and they also offer certain courses and/or certificate programs on the weekends. They offer classroom instruction year round during the day, night, and on weekends - as well as online. I took a mixture of all during my time at UW. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | My professors were all very accessible - loved them! I was always able to get in to see my advisor as well - even though I was coming in late in the afternoon before my first evening class. She was always available to talk to me - or one of her co-workers would be. That was great! UW's libraries are awesome as well. Excellent study rooms, excellent volume of materials available in hard copy as well as online. |
| Social Life | 10 | Although I went to night school, I developed some great friendships with my classmates - just as I would if I were in day classes. I've attended Huskies games since I was a child, and used to party on campus when I was in high school (ha-ha), so I'd say the UW offers a grand social experience! I also liked how there were multiple graduation ceremonies; one for your major, and one for the entire school. Made me feel very special. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Like with the Alumni services, I'm rating it as "Average" only because I haven't taken advantage of what UW has to offer in regards to job/career placement. It's another avenue I probably should have looked into during my recent 3 yr. unemployment stint. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | I only am rating this as average because in all honesty, I haven't taken advantage of our alumni network. I really should - and it's been on my "To Do" list since graduating nearly 4 years ago. I guess I just got busy. I look forward to participating in alumni events in the future and do appreciate that school continues to send me invites to events such as these. |
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